1I myself have studied these accounts carefully. So I decided that it would be good for me also to write for you (sg) an accurate account of these matters.
2I want you to know the truth about what you have been taught {what others have taught you}.
3When King Herod the Great ruled Judea district, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests called the Abijah group. He and his wife Elizabeth were both descended from the first priest of Israel, Aaron.
4God considered that both of them were righteous, because they constantly completely obeyed everything that God had commanded.
5But they had no children, because Elizabeth had been unable to bear children. Furthermore, she and her husband were very old.
6One day Zechariah’s group was doing their work in the Temple in Jerusalem, and he was serving as a priest in God’s presence.
7Following their custom, the other priests chose him by lot to enter the Lord’s temple and burn incense.
8While he was burning the incense, many people were outside in the courtyard, praying.
9Then an angel whom God had sent appeared to him. The angel was standing at the right side of the place where the priests burned incense.
10When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and became very afraid.
11But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid! When you (sg) prayed asking God for a son (OR, that God would send the Messiah), God heard what you prayed. So your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son. You must name him John.
12He will cause you to be very happy, and many other people will also be happy because he is born.
13God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, in order that he will be completely dedicated to God. He will be controlled by the Holy Spirit {The Holy Spirit will control him} from before he is born.
14He will persuade many people in Israel to turn away from their sins and please the Lord their God.
15As God’s Spirit enables him to preach powerfully as the prophet Elijah did, he will precede the Messiah. He will cause parents [SYN] to act peacefully toward their children again. He will cause many people who do not obey God to hear and obey the wise things that righteous people tell them. He will do this in order to help many people to be ready when the Lord comes.”
16Then Zechariah said to the angel, “I am very old, and my wife is also so old that she cannot bear a child. So ◄I cannot believe that what you (sg) said will happen!/how can I believe that what you (sg) said will happen?► [RHQ]”
17Then the angel said to him, “I am God’s chief angel, Gabriel! I do what God tells me, because I constantly am in God’s presence! I was sent {He sent me} to tell you (sg) something good that is going to happen to you.
18What I have told you will certainly happen at the time God decides, but you did not believe what I told you. So now God will make you will be unable to talk until the day your son is born”!
19While Zechariah and the angel were talking, the people in the courtyard were waiting for Zechariah to come out. They wondered, “Why is he staying in the Temple for such a long time?”
20When Zechariah came out, he was not able to speak to the people. Because he could not talk, he made motions with his hands to try to convey what had happened. Then they realized that he had seen ◄a vision from God/something that God showed him► while he was in the Temple.
21When Zechariah’s time to work as a priest in the Temple was finished, he left Jerusalem and returned to his home.
22Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant [EUP]. She did not leave their house for five months, because she knew that people would laugh at her if she told them that she was pregnant.
23But she thought, “God has enabled me to become pregnant. He has pitied me and I will no longer be ashamed because I have no children!”
24When Elizabeth had been pregnant [EUP] for almost six months, the angel Gabriel was sent by God {God sent the angel Gabriel} again.
25This time he went to Nazareth town in Galilee district, to a virgin whose name was Mary. It had been {Her parents had} promised that she would marry a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David.
26The angel greeted her and said, “◄The Lord/God► is with you (sg) and you will be greatly blessed {has decided to greatly bless you}!”
27But Mary was very confused when she heard that. She wondered what the angel meant by these words.
28Then the angel said to her, “Mary, God is very pleased with you (sg), so do not be afraid.
29You will become pregnant and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.
30He will become great. He will be called {People will call him} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►. God, the Lord, will make him a king [MTY] as his ancestor King David was.
31He will be the King of the Jews, the descendants [MTY] of your ancestor Jacob, forever. He will rule as king forever!”
32Then Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin, so how can I have a baby?”
33The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come to you; the power of God [MTY/EUP] will overshadow you and enable you to become pregnant. So the child you will bear will be completely set apart {give himself completely} to obey God, and he will be called {people will say that he is} ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►.
34I also need to tell you something else. Your cousin Elizabeth is very old, and it was thought {people said} that she could not bear any children. But she has been pregnant [EUP] for almost six months, and will bear a son!
35You should not be surprised at that, because God can do everything!”
36Then Mary said, “All right, I want to serve ◄the Lord/God►, so may what you (sg) have said about me come true!” Then the angel left her.
37Very soon after that, Mary got ready and went quickly to a town in the highlands of Judea district where Zechariah lived.
38She entered his house and greeted his wife Elizabeth.
39As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary greet her, the baby moved inside Elizabeth’s womb. The Holy Spirit took complete control of Elizabeth,
40and she said loudly to Mary, “God has blessed you more than he has blessed any other woman, and he has blessed the child you will bear!
41◄I am not worthy that God would allow you to visit me!/Why is God allowing you to visit me?► [RHQ] You will be the mother of my Lord!
42I realize this because as soon as I heard you greet me, the baby inside my womb moved because he was so happy that you had come.
43God is pleased with you because you believed that what ◄the Lord/God► told you would come true.”
44Then Mary praised God by saying/singing:
45I am happy because God is the one who saves me.
46I was only his lowly servant girl, but he did not forget me.
47because they will hear about the things that God [MTY], the mighty one, has done for me.
48He acts mercifully toward all those who respect him.
49He shows people that he [MTY] is very powerful. He scatters those who think proudly.
50He does not let mighty kings rule [MTY] any more, but he honors people who are oppressed (OR, humble).
51He gives good things to eat to those who are hungry, but he sends away the rich people without giving them anything.
52Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.
53When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her child, she bore a son.
54Her neighbors and relatives heard how ◄the Lord/God► had greatly blessed her by enabling her to bear a child, so they were happy along with Elizabeth.
55Seven days later they gathered together for the ceremony for circumcising the baby to show that he belonged to God. They wanted to give the baby the same name as his father, Zechariah.
56But his mother said, “No, his name will not be Zechariah. His name will be John!”
57So they said to her, “John is not the name of any of your (dl) relatives, so you(dl) should not give him that name!”
58Then they made motions with their hands to Zechariah, for him to indicate what name he wanted to be given {to give} to his son.
59So he signaled that they should give him a tablet to write on. When they gave him one, he wrote on it, “His name is John.” All those who were there were surprised!
60Immediately Zechariah was able to speak again [MTY], and he praised God.
61All their neighbors were amazed/awestruck! They told other people who lived all over the highlands of Judea about what had happened.
62Everyone who heard about it kept thinking about it. They were saying, “We wonder what will this child do for God when he grows up [RHQ]!” They wondered that because from what had happened they were sure that God would be helping that child [SYN] in a powerful way.
63After Zechariah’s son was born, Zechariah was completely directed by the Holy Spirit {the Holy Spirit completely directed Zechariah} as he spoke these words that came from God:
64“raise the Lord, the God whom we(inc) people of Israel worship,
65He is sending us someone who will powerfully [MTY] save us,
66Long ago God caused his prophets to say that he would do that.
67He will rescue us from our enemies,
68He will do this because he has not forgotten what he promised our ancestors;
69That is what he strongly promised our ancestor Abraham that he would do.
70God told him that we would be rescued {he would rescue us} from the power of our enemies,
71that he would cause us to be completely dedicated to him,
72Then Zechariah said this to his little son:
73You will tell God’s people how he will forgive them and save them from being punished for their sins.
74Our God will do that because he is very kind to us.
75People who do not know God [MET] are like those who sit in the darkness.
76Later, Zechariah’s son grew up and became spiritually strong. Then he lived in a desolate region until he began to preach to the Israeli people.